You know you're a home brewer when?

Kiichi said:

When you have to lower the temperature of your entire apartment to control fermentation and now feel like 68 is really warm and 71 makes you sweat during light physical exercise.

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^^This^^
Except I live in a 3 bedroom farm house, and never turn the thermostat down when i'm gone for the weekend, because I've got to keep the US-05 happy.

Propane bill??? RDWHAHB.

biochemedic said:

Sounds good, I bet it would remind me of Postum...used to have that when I was a kid... I may have to get a few ounces of roasted barley next time I'm at the LHBS and try this!

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Might remind you of it, but it depends on how much you use. I literally do just 2-3 pinches on 1L. Just fills out the really dark roasty character imho. Also adds a tad of bitterness which is why you wanne stay low though. You don´t brew coffee with steeping temps after all.

When you go downstairs to the unfinished basement on a day in the single digits, look at the thermometer and think lagering cellar!!!

When it's so cold, even your fermenters have two layers of clothing!

When all you think about is how to maximize your brewing (more fermenters, smaller batches, etc.) and even branch off into wine and mead.

When your considering digging out the crawl space under the kitchen to make the basement larger so you have more room for brewing.

1975brewer said:

When your considering digging out the crawl space under the kitchen to make the basement larger so you have more room for brewing.

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+1! I thought about the possibility of digging out a storage cellar off our basement many times...

1975brewer said:

When your considering digging out the crawl space under the kitchen to make the basement larger so you have more room for brewing.

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Started to do this, after forty buckets of dirt gave up and only cleared about six square feet of floor space

when you finally make it easier on yourself on bottle cleaning/delabeling day by pitching the ones where the labels won't budge while soaking. Great Lakes & Small Town Brewing, I'm referring to you.

When you have a bumper sticker that says "My other car is an electric brewery."

When you show up at the LHBS 10 minutes before they open on a Saturday because it's the only time you'll have to pick up supplies if you brew that night.

unionrdr said:

when you finally make it easier on yourself on bottle cleaning/delabeling day by pitching the ones where the labels won't budge while soaking. Great Lakes & Small Town Brewing, I'm referring to you.

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+1 for that if they don't slide off after a 15-20 min. soak they'er in the recycle bin. Anyone know if Great Lakes changed their labeling process in the last year or so. Lately I haven't had any trouble getting them off.

Idk...been a year or so since I bought any myself.

When it's winter, while washing your hands (in cold water) you're thinking, "man this water would really cool my wort down fast!".

bbohanon said:

When you have a bumper sticker that says "My other car is an electric brewery."

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Sounds like a challenge:
Who's going to be first to have a self propelled brew sculpture with steering, and possibly a seat! " But honey, I'm also mowing the lawn..."

PlexVector said:

Sounds like a challenge:
Who's going to be first to have a self propelled brew sculpture with steering, and possibly a seat! " But honey, I'm also mowing the lawn..."

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Careful what you wish for.

When your wife tries to cut you off from buying anything related to homebrewing

Ski12568 said:

When your wife tries to cut you off from buying anything related to homebrewing

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Yeah, the scale and thermometers and new racking cane and ingredients for three batches may have killed the hobby for a while.

Turns out we need new couches before I need more beer.

1977Brewer said:

Yeah, the scale and thermometers and new racking cane and ingredients for three batches may have killed the hobby for a while.

Turns out we need new couches before I need more beer.

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Think you can sell her on grain sack beanbag chairs? Either use full sacks or stuff a bean bag chair shell full of grains. Its practical and brewable.

MaxStout said:

Careful what you wish for.

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Not quite "Back to the future"; I wouldn't call it bio-diesel.

Maybe replace the toilet with a keggle.ipe:

1977Brewer said:

Yeah, the scale and thermometers and new racking cane and ingredients for three batches may have killed the hobby for a while.

Turns out we need new couches before I need more beer.

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Yeah, I'm getting "we need to pay off the car." I'm working on getting more money budgeted for this hobby.

Ski12568 said:

Yeah, I'm getting "we need to pay off the car." I'm working on getting more money budgeted for this hobby.

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Once my first 2 batches are ready, I no longer have to buy (as much) beer. Not that I HAVE to have beer...I'm just a happier guy with it. That'll calm it down considerably. I can brew 2 cases for the cost of a case of decent craft beer. That'll leave wiggle room for equipment, I'm hoping. I can slug out one more batch with what I have, I just want to make it easier on myself.

when you have been off work for a while and think hmmm I need to brew a couple batches this week get the pipeline up, cuz once I go back to work I will only have time on weekends

When you get an email from some new guy named Brett, and you think to yourself, "hmmm, I've got a saison at home that's been sitting in a keg with WLP650 for about 5 months. I should taste that after work."

PlexVector said:

Sounds like a challenge:
Who's going to be first to have a self propelled brew sculpture with steering, and possibly a seat! " But honey, I'm also mowing the lawn..."

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But I thought that was why they invented the Prius!!!

When your apartment is starting to look more like a home brew shop than a living space.

When your man cave/brewery is in the front of the house & people see that first. Also, when you finally finish business for the day & crack a beer while staring at your fermenter.:rockin:

When you reflect fondly on the days when you could use the excuse "I'm only drinking so much today so I can have enough empties to bottle tomorrow"

Your brewhouse idea/todo list grows exponentially each time you visit homebrewtalk.com!

When you look at the long range weather forcast just to see when there's going to be warm enough weekend to brew again.

VApatriot said:

When you look at the long range weather forcast just to see when there's going to be warm enough weekend to brew again.

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+1! Just did that too!

I've been sick recently with a nasty cold. Went to the doctor yesterday. Told SWMBO that I lost 8 pounds since I've been sick. Without skipping a beat she goes, 'probably because you haven't been drinking beer'.

When you see someone wearing a shirt that says "East" on it and you do a double take because you swore it said "Yeast"

When you forget when you made a batch (or what exactly that batch is) and check the "How many gallons" thread as your brew log.

A couple of days after brewing an all grain batch, you get home from work and know exactly what you forgot to do after brewing.

We got the kids in the car yesterday to go get groceries and my 3-year old daughter says, "Daddy, I want to go to a new brewery today."

When you seriously consider going to the drive thru self serve car wash...not to wash your car but to clean out your mash tun and kettle without turning your driveway into a sheet of ice!

I know I'm a homebrewer because I will tag along with the misses to antique shops, dollar stores, flea markets and garage sale just looking for items that I can use.

You know you are a home brewer when you talk about how many gallons of beer you have at home and in what format. (like now, I have 10 gallons bottled, 10 gallons fermenting)

When you go to said cheapy stores/flea market looking for glasses or anything to brew with & find some nice cast iron cookware as well!